I've received an email from Lee Dittmann who is one of
the people you can thank for the China Hole Trail. He worked
at Henry Coe for almost 10 years so he's very familiar with the
park. He also has a very good website on Henry Coe which I recommend.
He also publishes the map for the park along with a couple of
books. He pointed out a few errors in my text which I have changed.
He also pointed out that there are several places in the park
from which you can view Half Dome in Yosemite. These being from
the top of Pine Ridge, the south end of Mahoney Ridge, Mt. Sizer,
Divide Ridge, etc. He says that winter is the best time to view
it.

I've just recieved another email from Lee Dittmann. He's
had a problem with too much traffic at his website so he's had
to move it. Lee is associated with Buddha
Nature Books and Maps out of Flagstaff Arizona. So if you
need some maps or books look him up His Henry Coe website is
at

I have hiked at Henry Coe State Park
a number of times. It is a good place to go backpacking when
there is too much snow in the Sierras. The best times to hike
there is probably in the spring. There is a lot of wildlife there.
Once I camped at Mahoney Pond and got to watch a male Tom turkey
round up his harem on the next hillside. Later that night I woke
up hearing a coyote off in the distance, and a coyote pup less
than 100 yards away, trying to howl back . There is also a lot
of wild boar there and one night I heard them on the hillside
above me. They cause a lot of destruction when they root up the
ground looking for food. You should always be prepared to climb
a tree when you encounter one but I have never had a problem
with them. As the ranger told me, just yell at them. There are
also mountain lions there. On a hike over the new years, a couple
said they had seen a mountain lion having an argument with two
coyotes over a deer carcass near Poverty Flat. Below are a few
of the pictures I have taken at Henry Coe. Just click on the
picture to see a larger one, along with a description.